Lodging in Public

1. Police shorthand for camping offenses under Cal. Penal Code Sec. 647(e).
2. Public talk about places where people live, including housing, homelessness, detention, and public space. 2a. Especially in San Francisco.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I'm moving over to a new Web page, marthabridegam.tumblr.com. The new site is sleeker, simpler, and coordinates better with Twitter and mobile devices. Please change your bookmarks accordingly and I'll look forward to seeing you on the new page.

Yesterday's less than voluntary soup-serving and trash removal efforts
probably did do good, mainly in the enrichment of tech employees'
valuable souls but also in the tidying of local pavements and such.
Reminds me of the lawyer in "The Bicycle Thief" who, for his soul,
serves as barber to a man who could really use some access to justice --
but, eh, public service is a chance to make human connections across
barriers. Never know what lasting benefit might result.

The Chron finds a heartening sign of connection already in 23-year-old account executive Phil McKennan. He's described as volunteering with local kids over the past six months -- a commitment that is surely surplus to requirements, so it's likely largely without pay:

"We get our food at the office, so we don't really need to leave, but we
all go to happy hour in the neighborhood," said McKennan, who lives in the Marina. "You have to give back to the community, and this area definitely needs our help."

He sounds like a nice guy. Maybe he needs and gets help from "this area" too in his way. A step out of the Marina's post-collegiate containment zone? A break from the tiring job of selling? What isn't to like?

Now, though, let's get back to the "civic engagement" mentioned by Controller and Director of Community Outreach Jason Rodrigues in his post last week. Direct service labor isn't civic activity in the old-fashioned sense of active participation in self-government. On the other hand, it would be appropriate and neighborly civic participation for Rodrigues and his counterparts to make public statements of their positions on major issues affecting all of us together as neighbors and as presumptive equals before the law.

A good sample issue is the current debate between Supervisors Scott Wiener and Jane Kim over conflicting proposed revisions to our municipal CEQA environmental review ordinance. A few days ago Rodrigues retweeted a comment in which Weiner noted the Examiner newspaper's endorsement of his CEQA proposal. Rodrigues hasn't answered my questions, via Twitter and his weblog, about whether his retweet means Yammer supports the generally business-backed Wiener proposal. This one does matter: the Sierra Club is organizing a petition against it and suggests that, if passed, Wiener's plan could help developers to shove past environmental review stages of projects before local opposition has a proper chance to form. More info on the Wiener proposal is here and here (second link is a legislative analysis PDF). More from the Sierra Club is here. Jane Kim's alternative seems to be numbered as 13-248, summarized at its introduction here.

If Yammer will state its position on the CEQA issue in public we can take it as a start toward demonstrating interest in substantive civic engagement.

I think a refusal to answer will indicate that civic engagement doesn't interest Yammer as much as gratitude.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

A company called Yammer moved into offices on Market Street near Ninth. Recently they decided to "engage" our neighborhoods -- vaguely, South of Market, Civic Center and the Tenderloin. They called these neighborhoods "Mid-Market". They called their effort "Mid-Market Matters." As if we needed to be told so. They decided to "engage" us by serving soup to us, teaching computers to kids, and performing other smiling acts of charity for deserving objects of charity.

In the course of which, they made a charming suggestion, likely not meant for local consumption:

"No matter where you are, you probably have a neighborhood just like our Mid-Market. So we encourage you to follow our lead — get up, get out, and get involved in making your Mid-Market better for everyone!"

So, call me a Little Old Lady In Tennis Shoes if you like, but I just had to write them a letter:

[Update: Yammer's Jason Rodrigues had the good sportsmanship to let my comment appear on his company blog below the post that I've linked above. His response is here.]

Dear Yammer Community Engagement Folks:

Western downtown San Francisco is not “just like” anywhere
else in this world. We know that our home “matters.” We don’t
need Yammer to convince us of that. We are not some anomic
impoverished rabble waiting for rich newcomers to save us. We are
neighbors living in existing established neighborhoods that we value
both for what they are and for what they can become.

We are varied people. Our respective backgrounds, incomes and
identities diverge in ways that may surprise you. You can’t presume
who we are from the statistical medians for our respective census
tracts.

You can’t win our friendship by ladling soup at us. An
“engagement” program of one-way top-down charitable service is
better than complete aloofness but it doesn’t necessarily “engage”
your neighbors. Some may find it patronizing. Many won’t notice it.

On the other hand, if you ask around you’ll find local
activists, historians and geezers who can help you adopt an informed,
neighborly and respectful role as new arrivals in this established
community. For example, you could contact Jim Meko of the SoMaLeadership Council. Jim doesn’t always speak for everyone — nobody could — but
he’s an example of a local leadership figure who you won’t
“engage” by ladling soup. Or take a history tour with ChrisCarlsson of www.shapingsf.org
and FoundSF.org . Or get in touch with neighbors at the Langton and
Howard community garden. Or introduce yourselves at the
community-wise Green Arcade bookstore.

Since you’ve borrowed (or rather, I hope, rented) some of the
above photos from photographer and writer Mark Ellinger of upfromthedeep.com
you’ve sampled his huge knowledge about the Sixth Street area. His
site is full of stories that aren’t “just like” anything nor
anywhere else. That’s a start for you right there in seeing your
new home as a place already worth liking.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

About Me

I'm a lawyer and freelance writer in San Francisco, California. I write about housing, homelessness, public space, detention and the politics of geography. Please visit my current writing site or follow me on Twitter at @mbridegam (formerly @marthabridegam).
I practice law part-time at the firm of Laurie Shigekuni & Associates. This weblog and my Tumblr site are strictly my own: they do not speak for the law office, are not intended to offer my services as a lawyer to any client, and are not intended as legal advice. If you have a question or concern about this site please contact me directly. Please do not call the law office about my independent writing work.